What is a value proposition, why do you need one, and does yours hold up?
Your value proposition is your main positioning statement. Aside from the “business school speak,” your Value Prop is THE defining statement regarding who you are and what you offer to the world. This goes for any sized business model. You need to be able to show potential customers, your bank and potential partners how you fit into the marketplace, whom you serve and how you add value.
What does this actually look like? Here is mine for a start.
Amanda MacDonald, Founder of Full Gallop Communications, is a marketing consultant who specializes in helping commercial and non-profit businesses to define their marketing strategies to grow brand equity and attract more leads and sales.
Who am I? A marketing consultant and I am my brand.
What do I offer? I specialize in helping businesses to define their marketing strategies and grow brand equity.
What is the benefit to my clients? I help attract leads and sales and give them confidence in the necessary steps for growth.
This exercise is deceptively simple and may take a few tries to get it sounding accurate and fully encompassing.
Consider all the ways that you add value to your customers. Do you go over and above in some areas? Are you offering something others cannot?
TIP – don’t do this in a vacuum if you are having trouble with it. Bounce it off of your business mentor or an objective friend who understands what you are offering. This needs to be as accurate as possible.
Why your Value Proposition is not a Tagline. The difference is that your tag could be for a campaign, or for a strategic push, which usually lasts only a short time. A tagline is also a very short statement. Again, here is the Full Gallop brand tagline for comparison to the above statement:
Dynamic Branding & Strategy
Once you have this nailed down, don’t forget that you should use it generously. Your website’s main page, the about us page, and the contact page for starters. Work a variation into your social media bios and posts, into blog bios. You get the idea.
It also astonishes me at how many businesses have not stopped to really think about the kernel of truth that defines what they need to focus on every single day. In order to really be successful, everything you do should support this statement, especially in the first few years of growth.
NEXT STEPS – Request our Essential Brand Story Builder Workbook to help dial this in, as well as define the overall brand structure of your business for those of you who prefer to DIY.
For those who have too much on their plates to manage this, or would just prefer an outside viewpoint for their business, contact me directly to talk about the ways I can help you.
